Tag Archives: Buildings

Shopping in simpler times

These days when we go to the store, we’re typically faced with thousands of products. But back in the pioneer days – in the “Wild West” – sometimes only bulk essentials sat on shelves. Typically grocers lived in the same building as their store, and people paid in trades more often than cash. This LEGO trading post by Thomas Gion pays homage to that history. I’m a particular fan of the well, which is executed with a really authentic look, and even “pumps” when you spin the windmill.

The little building is fully furnished on the inside with period furniture and wares from that time.

This trading post is part of a series of western-style buildings, one of which we recently featured.

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Building bricks from bricks makes for picture-perfect architecture

The Aarhus Royal Custom House in Denmark is said to be architect Hack Kampmann’s finest work. Now, this massive minifigure-scale tribute may be the finest work of LEGO builder Poul-Erik Borre. The design is exceptionally like the actual building, but it’s even more than that. The color and texture work is impressive. Additionally, there is some awesome parts usage going on to create the angles. As someone who has tried to build complicated roofs before, I know this is no easy feat. The use of the modified 1×2’s with flexible tips to get the right shape for the rounded peaks is my favorite aspect.

There is a Youtube tour of the model promised for the future. In the meantime, take a look at Boore’s medieval village, which is featured in the LEGO House.

Fishing in muddy waters

To me, LEGO builder Ralf Langer is known for his quite technical timbered buildings. This creation is no exception. We all know building a round structure with square LEGO bricks can be quite a challenge. As you can see a lot of the creation is round: the roof, the wooden staircase made of bars and tread links beside the tower, the bay window on the building on the right, the bridge between the two buildings, and that domed roof made with triangular road signs. Ralf almost makes it look easy. One of the best things about this creation is the usage of black sausages, round 1×1 plates with an open stud and brown 1×6 arches to create a round shape for the tower. Very clever! Another thing that deserves a mention is the use of the plant stem with 3 leaves to create the foliage for the trees. There are a lot of nice techniques and details to discover, but I’ll let you discover those yourself.

Shine on you crazy diamond (store)

The Enchanted Diamond by Maxim Baybakov is a LEGO ode to “studs not on top” construction. The entire front façade is based on a very clever inversion of arch bricks with lovely insets of 2×2 turntable bases. I’m also fond of the column that flank the lower windows. The unusual texture there is thanks to Technic gearshift connectors. The roof has a great technique as well, with layers of dark blue 2×2 and diagonal tiles forming an intricate pattern. The end result is very upscale, as befits a high-end shop.

Maxim also creates a nice little story with the minifigures – it looks like someone is busy casing the joint. It might be easier to just follow along behind the other folks and pick up their costly litter…

Maxim is well on the way to building the perfect downtown district. The Enchanted Diamond would look great nestled between the barber shop and bookshop.

The natural wonders of the raised baseplate

I think we can all agree, raised baseplates can be a pain to deal with. Not only are they large and clunky, but these baseplates also come with all sorts of odd features, typically as a result of special molds designed to function best in their original LEGO sets. Bram tackles a raised baseplate from the 1998 Adventurers Sphinx Secret Surprise set featuring a pre-fabricated ramp, off-set staircases, and heavy printing on all sides of its raised platforms. But in Bram’s Ara’Hith Estate, this baseplate virtually disappears into the architecture and seamless landscaping. The baseplate’s wide printed stone ramp transforms into a grand entrance into a shaded portico, and its irregular stud configurations have been cleverly filled in with palm trees and flower beds. Bram has worked around every tricky aspect of this challenge and the result is fantastic. We’re looking at a major NPU right here!

Click here to see more views of this stunning baseplate build

A solution for yellowed LEGO bricks

White LEGO bricks turning yellow, it’s a builders’ worst nightmare. Some builders would discard the yellowed bricks but not Ayrlego. The yellowed white bricks were used in combination with white, light grey, and tan masonry bricks to create a weathered look for the Port Woodhouse Cavalry Stables. Mixing 1×1 round bricks in different colours for the roof further adds to the weathered look of the building.

This build features a lot of classic LEGO elements and their newer/replacement counterparts. The window pane lattice diamond and the window shutter, the new pane lattice with the old window and the old shutters, the old horses in the stable next to the newer more articulated ones and even the use of old and new redcoat torso’s for the minifigures.

That’s one angry shop

Some places are inviting, but this microscale Seaside Shoppe by Halhi141 seems to be a grumpy fellow. Maybe I’m seeing things, but the crossbeams, red awning, and doorway arch make a perfect little face screaming “Go away!” And who puts a store on a remote island anyway? Still, that didn’t keep me from appreciating the excellent LEGO building techniques in play. Check out the minifigure scaled book that forms the roof, and the clever binocular chimney with cattle horn smoke. The landscaping is also worth a closer look, as cherries are used to create some perfect little shrubs. And I really like the curving path made from a animal tail element.

Mircoscale creations, when done right, pack a ton of detail into the tiniest places. Just check our archives for even more tiny goodness!

TBB cover photo for August 2020: A station worth visiting

This month’s cover photo, from Pieter Dennison, is a model of the Dunedin Railway Station in New Zealand. From the tower to the topiary garden, this scene captures all the nuance found in the Dunedin Railway Station, reportedly, one of New Zealand’s most photographed buildings. If you’d like to learn more about this build, read our previous coverage of this LEGO Dunedin Railway Station that Pieter spent five years building.

Submit your LEGO creations featured across TBB social media for a month! Check out the submission guidelines share your builds today.

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Even steampunks go to church

I have never been enthralled with steampunk. Maybe it’s because I’m not the biggest fan of the Victorian Era in general, let alone a fantastic version of it filled with steam-driven automatons. Despite that, I can recognize a cool LEGO build when I see it, no matter what era it is from. And that is what this steam-church by Dwalin Forkbeard is. Inspired by a church in Ukraine, this particular one lacks a second tower (due to lack of parts) and the square in front (also due to a shortage of parts), but it looks great just as it is. I love how the smaller chunks of city life are connected to the central build by pipes, linking them together without needing to make a giant plaza. And I do like pipes. I also like seeing the planet half-spheres used for domes. Add in some handcuff ornaments and one amazing gas lamppost, and you have something special. Isn’t that right, old chap?

At this research facility, the future is NOW!

Inspired by the work of Syd Mead, builder Jme Wheeler packs a lot of punch into a fairly small area, creating a sprawling, Futurist research facility in LEGO microscale form.

The builder makes great use of a limited black and blue color palette on the buildings and all light gray rocks. Restricting the colors of the structures gives the whole facility a cohesive look. It makes the green plant matter quite striking and yet doesn’t distract from the beautiful building designs. The tall, stacked building gives us some impossible architecture that somehow feels right at home in the scene and you can almost imagine workers bustling through the covered walkways between buildings. I love the use of the gray curved tiles to represent a raised road or perhaps a monorail track. The windmills are a clever addition and the tiny island with a single palm tree is a great little gem hiding in plain sight.

What goes on under the dome of The Apple Square Research Center?

Builder Pete Strege brings us an architectural marvel with his latest building, The Apple Square Research Center. Lately, I find myself enamored with architectural builds, and this one ranks amongst the best that I’ve seen. I’ve spent a considerable amount of time looking at it and still find new things to be inspired by.

There are many standouts to this model but the overall shape, color scheme, and that gorgeous dome are the aspects that leap out first. The triangular shape of the building itself is a difficult task but the builder meets the challenge admirably. The arched window above the door is beautiful and shows another example of mastery over complicated shapes. The color scheme is rich and detailed, utilizing a limited palette to create a cohesive look without devolving into a mess. The combination of the various brown tones on the building with the dark red and gold accents really shows off the beautiful earth blue and black roof.

Read on to see more about the incredible dome

When was the last time you danced?

The new Creator modular comes out January first and, while this is exciting news, the general consensus is that it is rather plain. That would not have been said if this creation by Joshua were the new modular instead. This Dancing Modular is part Dancing House by Frank Gehry and Vlado Milunić, part Krzywy Domek and part funhouse mirror. The dizzying, sweeping windows juxtaposed against curving transparent balconies is a compelling sight to behold, and the garden roof terrace brings a bit of nature to what otherwise might be forboding architectural chaos.

The interior boasts some brightly lit, yet quaint, well-appointed spaces such as this one. Continue reading →